Dave Curry
Contributing Writer
PCHS 87
Summers County 74
The Pocahontas County High School Warrior boys completed a busy weekend by splitting a pair of games with two AA teams.
On Friday night, the Summers County Bobcats came calling and left on the short end of a 87 to 74 score. The Warriors grabbed control early and took a 31 to 21 lead at the end of the first quarter. PCHS kept the pressure on and increased the lead by 3 while taking a 49 to 36 lead at the half.
Three seniors scored in double digits, led by JD Hensler with 23 points and 15 rebounds, while Ryan Dilley and Braxton Rider contributed 22 points each. Hensler and Dilley also had five assists and six steals a piece.
Overall, the Warriors had a good shooting night, sinking 31 of 73 shots for a 43 percent shooting percentage, and the team’s record stood at 12 wins and six losses.
PCHS 88
River View 91
Saturday was a very busy day at Warrior Coliseum with three games on the schedule.
The Lady Warriors began the day with a close victory over Charleston Catholic by a score of 44 to 42. Next up, the Boys Junior Varsity tangled with the River View JVs followed by the Varsity game that began at 4:20 p.m.
The Raiders of River View showed up with a tall and talented team that started out sluggish as the Warriors jumped out to a 25 to 16 lead at the end of the first quarter. PCHS continued a fast pace and extended the lead to 16 at one point, then carried a 42 to 30 lead into the locker room at the half.
Both teams played aggressively in the third quarter with each team continuously driving into the lane for lay ups. The Raiders began to take the upper hand with a good inside out game as they cashed in on three-pointers and outscored the Warriors by 28 to 18 in the third.
The Warrior defense began to falter in the fourth, possibly showing the wear and tear of playing two games in less than 24 hours. Meanwhile the RV ballers played tough enough to slow down the Warriors even though three Raiders fouled out near the end. The team from Bradshaw in McDowell County earned a hard fought victory by a final score of 91 to 88.
Brian Mitchell led RV in the last stanza with three three-point shots from deep in the corner on his way to scoring 26, as the Raiders opened up a lead. Tyree Baker also played well and finished with 23. As a team, River View connected on nine three-point shots compared to only three for Pocahontas.
Four players scored in double figures for the Warriors, led by JD Hensler with 23, Braxton Rider and Ryan Dilley with 19 each, and junior Brady Jones with 11. Dilley led the way in rebounding with 10 boards while Hensler and Jones had seven each.
In the JV game, Pocahontas came out on top with a final score of 82 to 51. Jones finished with 13 while Wilfong scored 12 and Taylor knocked down 11.
PCHS takes a 12 win, seven loss record into the Monday night game with Tygart Valley.
PCHS 72
Tygart Valley 52
In Monday nights game at Mill Creek, the Pocahontas County Warriors overcame the Tygart Valley Bulldogs by a score of 72 to 52 for an important road win.
PCHS now has a record of 13 wins and 7 losses as they prepare for upcoming tournament sectional play.